Dippin’ Dots are too expensive. A 5 oz cup sells for around $2.29* at your local mall or fair ground. That adds up to around $7.32 for a pint compared to $5 for a pint of Ben & Jerries or far less for a non-premium ice cream. It costs a lot of money to cryogenically freeze tiny beads of ice cream in small batches. Innovation is supposed to make things cheaper.

Dippin’ Dots rely on novelty and it’s hard to do that after 23 years. We learned from going to the company website that name brand products include ice cream cakes, milk shakes and other kinds of diversification. Unfortunately these products have no gimmick whatsoever to compete against bigger and better ice cream companies.

*Or like $5-$8 at a stadium or concert, amirite??

For those of us enchanted by the futuristic magic of melt-in-your-mouth Dippin’ Dots, here’s how they’re made.